Contents

Laws
against homosexuality

Article 338 of Algerian law (English translation) reads:

"Anyone guilty of a homosexual act is punishable with
imprisonment of between 2 months and

two years, and with a fine of 500 to 2000 Algerian Dinars.
If one of the participants is below 18 years old, the punishment
for the older person can be raised to 3 years' imprisonment and a
fine of 10,000 dinars"

Laws are influenced by the number of people who see
homosexuality as against the
Islamic faith. Algeria is known for fundamentalist laws, such
as one banning religious conversion.[2]

Living
conditions

Algerian society is not very tolerant of homosexual persons.
Behind the Mask, a non-profit media organization that publishes
information for gay men and lesbians in Africa, describes Algerian
public attitudes as "violently homophobic;" it states that gay
people can be assassination targets for Islamic fundamentalists and
that honour killings by family and neighbours
are not rare."[3]
Examples of hate crimes against homosexuals include the stoning of
two men in the street in 2001[4]
and the killing of two men, one in 1994 and the other in 1996.[4]

This troublesome and dangerous life led one man, Ramzi Isalam,
to seek asylum in the United Kingdom.[4]

Homosexuality in Algeria is tolerated by some. In 2007 a large
majority of people accepted homosexuals by showing tolerance and
equality. The president Abdelaziz Bouteflika replied to a
question about homosexuals saying: "If they behave well nobody will
harm them and will give them all the freedom they deserve".

In Algiers, for example,
it is very common to see homosexuals in public, those more visible
often wearing flashy clothes or taking part in transvestism, and so
lately they have been tolerated.

Louisa
Hanoune, president of the Workers' Party, has asked for
authorization for the revision of the constitution that will be
made in 2008 to remove Article 333 and other articles that are
against freedom for homosexual persons or which demonstrate
inequality. Hanoune was previously nominated for president in 2004,
and is expected to be a candidate for the 2009 Algerian
presidential election.